LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Martin Luther King Junior's dream is a reality we strive to keep alive everyday. The effort begins in our valley classrooms, where the next generation is learning about his impact in the civil rights movement and his commitment to a life of service.
13 Action News anchor, Justin Hinton, recently spoke with local students, working to keep Dr. King's dream alive.
"He had the speech, it was called 'I Have a Dream.' He wanted freedom to ring around the world," says 9-year-old Corey.
Corey says Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the best for everyone.
"He said it doesn't matter what skin color you are. He wants to protest against violence and people to stop being mean," says Corey.
Makenzie Raham is a kindergarten teacher at Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School, near Nellis and East Carey. She says lessons begin with lots of books, videos and pictures to help bring Dr. King and his message to life.
"So they're able to see his story and make connections to that. Well, that's what my family does. That's what we look like. Those are some of the things that I feel," says Mrs. Raham.
She says even at 5-years-old her students understand what MLK was striving for. And they aren't afraid to ask tough questions, like "why would someone want to hurt Dr. King?"
"A lot of my students were questioning 'why? He was a good person. Why?' So we had to talk about, well, he had a dream and not everyone liked that. They didn't agree," says Mrs. Raham.
In the end, she says it's about learning to appreciate what King achieved and the impact it has on our lives everyday.
"So talking about how, what would it look like if he didn't do those things and taking more of that into mind... Learning about things that make us a little bit different and why we shouldn't view each other as different, but fair and equal," says Mrs. Raham.
She says she's happy to see King's message still making an impression today.
"In my room, I see how much stronger it's built our classroom family. They care and they love each other more and they don't see things that may look different. We care more about, do we have a good heart? Are our friends being kind?" says Mrs. Raham.
11-year-old David says he recognizes how lucky he is, thanks to Dr. King.
"When he grew up, he didn't have what we have... He was a person that spoke for equal rights and he wanted basically equal for everybody. He didn't care what race you were," says David.
But it may be 7-year-old Gianna who puts it best. She credits King with giving her the chance to play with others, no matter what they look like.
"And they could go to the same school, or they could drink, they could drink out of the same water fountain, and they could play at the same play grounds," says Gianna.
